Ruling Expected In Dumping Case

The U.S. International Trade Commission is expected to vote in April on whether dumping Canadian hog imports have caused or threatened to cause injury to the U.S. hog industry. U.S. producers already know the answer to this question, says Jon Caspers, past president of the National Pork Producers Council and a pork producer from Swaledale, IA. Canadian subsidies have distorted hog and pork markets.

The U.S. International Trade Commission is expected to vote in April on whether dumping Canadian hog imports have caused or threatened to cause injury to the U.S. hog industry.

“U.S. producers already know the answer to this question,” says Jon Caspers, past president of the National Pork Producers Council and a pork producer from Swaledale, IA.

“Canadian subsidies have distorted hog and pork markets. The Canadians have not reduced hog production since April 1996. Hog producers in the United States have unfairly shouldered all the pain of market adjustment. We will not sit by as part of our industry is unfairly exported to Canada,” he adds.

On March 7, the U.S. Department of Commerce reaffirmed its October 2004 ruling that Canadian producers are dumping live hogs in the United States. The Commerce Department announced that provisional antidumping duties averaging 10.63% will be placed on imports of live hogs from Canada.